After a Busy Shopping Weekend, Tuesday Becomes a Day to Give

Black Friday and Buy Local Saturday have come and gone, and Cyber Monday is just around the corner, but nonprofits across the region are hoping Pittsburghers will still have a little something in their checking accounts come Tuesday.

More than 7,800 organizations across the world are encouraging people to donate to charities and nonprofits to mark what has become known as Giving Tuesday.

The United Nations Foundation and 92d Street Y launched the initiative last year, and it trended globally on Twitter as #GivingTuesday.

The goal is to create a national day of giving at the beginning of the holiday season.

Pittsburgh organizations like the National Aviary and Carnegie Museums are taking part in the initiative by connecting with their donors.

“It’s really just a chance for people after they’ve done all of their holiday shopping and really looked at what’s important to them, they can take some of their funds they’ve put aside for the holidays and give back to local charities,” said Desiree Wienand, the Aviary’s director of development.

This year, the number of registered charities and for-profit organizations partnering with the founders has doubled.

“The partners are really just banding together to get the message out,” Betsy Momich, Carnegie Museums Corporate Communications Director, said. “So it’s organizations who are agreeing that: hey, the holidays are more than just buying gifts but it’s also about giving back.”

Some of the big Giving Tuesday partners include Home Depot, which is donating $1 towards veterans’ housing needs for every tweet using #TeamDepot, and Microsoft, which is launching a campaign to raise $500,000 for Give for Youth.

According to the #GivingTuesday website, there was a 50 percent increase in online charitable giving in 2012 compared to the previous year.

“I just think it’s important for us to give back and it’s days like this that really build awareness and I think it’s just during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season it’s just nice to sometimes pause and think about things outside of just consuming and buying at stores,” Wienand said.